Homecoming and Founder’s Day 2021

Truth from the Old Testament

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Dr. Bryan Beyer grew up in a Christian home and his earliest memories are of his mother telling him about Jesus. He gave his life to Christ at an early age, and around age 16, sensed God’s call to church-related ministry. He majored in humanities (history, philosophy, music) at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, then earned an MDiv degree at Denver Seminary and the PhD from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 1985 he joined the faculty of Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University), where he served for 36 years in a variety of roles: undergrad Bible faculty, dean of the college, dean of students, seminary Old Testament faculty, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In the summer of 2021, he ceased full-time employment at CIU, in order to focus more on teaching, writing, and taking groups to Israel.

Dr. Beyer has written extensively for LifeWay Christian Resources (www.lifeway.com) since 1991, writing Sunday School curriculum but also including assisting both in the translation of the Christian Standard Bible (Jeremiah 29-49) and the CSB Study Bible (notes on 1-2 Samuel). Four of his more significant publications include:

  • Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (co-authored with Bill T. Arnold; Baker Academic, 3rd edition, 2015)
  • Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study (co-edited with Bill T. Arnold; Baker Academic, 2002)
  • Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey (Baker Academic, 2007)
  • Scripture’s Grand Story Through the Old Testament  (co-authored with Bill Jones; Wipf and Stock, due out late 2021 or early 2022)

Dr. Beyer and his wife Yvonne were married June 21, 1975, and have three adult children, all of whom are married and live in the greater Columbia area. They also have five precious granddaughters. The Beyers enjoy time together with family and also in the outdoors with each other.